Tibet Permit and China Visa
Foreigners wishing to travel from Nepal to Tibet require a Chinese Group Visa and a Tibet Travel Permit; these permits need to be arranged prior, and they cannot be obtained separately. Independent travel to Tibet is not allowed for foreigners.
The process is:
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First, your tour itinerary must be confirmed through a registered travel operator because only authorized agencies will assist with the application for obtaining the visa and permit on your behalf.
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Group visas can be issued only by the Chinese embassy located in Kathmandu, Nepal, and are valid exclusively for group entry into Tibet. Otherwise, any visa previously obtained for China shall likewise not be valid for this route; a group visa is, therefore, compulsory.
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For entry, the Tibet Travel Permit is needed together with the visa. Your tour operator will arrange the obtaining of the permit from the Tibet Tourism Bureau after receiving a scanned copy of your passport and final confirmation of the travel arrangement.
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Both the visa and the travel permit should be obtained before your departure. Normally the documents are prepared in three working days after your passport submission.
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One can only visit Tibet as part of an organized tour, whereupon all group members adhere to the same itinerary and travel together.
For entering Tibet from Nepal, all travel arrangements must be made with an authorized agency, whereby it has been confirmed in advance, and arrangements for the processing time of the Chinese Group Visa and the Tibet Travel Permit should fit in the timeframe before the actual travel date.